Geranium 'Rozanne'

Geranium 'Rozanne': Violet-Blue on Repeat All Summer

'Rozanne' is the houseguest who arrives early, stays all season and somehow you're SAD WHEN SHE LEAVES. Violet-blue flowers with white eyes, blooming like she forgot there's an off switch. And she never leaves seedlings behind.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Geranium hybrid (G. himalayense x G. wallichianum 'Buxton's Variety'), cultivar code 'Gerwat'
• Common Name: Cranesbill
• Height: 45–50 cm (18–20 in)
• Spread: 60–90 cm (2–3 ft)
• Flowers: Saucer-shaped, violet-blue with a white centre, about 6 cm (2.5 in) across
• Bloom Time: Early summer to early fall (June to September)
• Foliage: Deeply cut, slightly marbled green leaves that pick up reddish tones in fall
• Features: Very long bloom season, sterile so it won't self-seed, few pest or disease problems

Where to Plant: Let it weave through the front or middle of a border, where its long stems knit neighbours together and fill gaps left by early bloomers. It is lovely spilling over a wall, along a path or out of a large container.

Companion Plants: Give 'Rozanne' room to weave through a sunny or part-shade bed from June to frost. Paeonia 'Bowl of Cream' opens big cream double peonies at 80 to 90 cm in May and June. Heliopsis 'Summer Eclipse' adds burnt-orange daisies over dark leaves at 60 to 75 cm from July to September. Anemone 'Curtain Call Deep Rose' brings dark rose anemones at 36 to 46 cm in August and September. Miscanthus 'Huron Sunrise' rises behind at 150 to 180 cm with red-tinged plumes.

Plant Care: Plant it in full sun to part sun, in moist, well-drained soil with some organic matter. It tolerates drier conditions once established, but flowers best with steady moisture. In hot, dry spots, afternoon shade helps. Give it room, because one plant can cover a surprising patch by midsummer. If it gets floppy or stops flowering, cut it back to about 8–10 cm (3–4 in) and it will regrow and bloom again. Cut it back in late fall or early spring. It seldom needs dividing.

History: 'Rozanne' turned up as a chance seedling around 1989 or 1990 in the Somerset, England garden of Donald and Rozanne Waterer, and Blooms of Bressingham launched it at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2000 after years of trials. It holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit and was the Perennial Plant Association's Perennial Plant of the Year for 2008.

Final Thoughts: Plant her once and you'll be shopping for a second by midsummer. The deer won't argue. THE GUEST ROOM IS HERS NOW.